3C Insider – Jake’s Top 5: 3C Poll — EXCLUSIVE: 3C Outlines National Data Privacy Framework For US Senators — SkillsConnect Seattle — 3C Member Spotlight: Board Member Stella Crewse

Welcome Back!
As the President of the Connected Commerce Council (3C), I share with you every two weeks what you, as a small business owner and a 3C member, need to know in order to win in the battle over your business’ access to digital platforms, tools and technologies.

3C SKILLSCONNECT IN SEATTLE

Last week, we hosted a SkillsConnect event in Seattle, WA. Digital marketing expert Salil Gandhi, Founder of HCP Buzz, SBO Buzz & ESQ Buzz, showed participants how to harness the network effect of social media to increase customers and drive revenue.  Attendees also heard from Washington State Chief Privacy Officer Alex Alben and other tech policy experts about developments in data privacy legislation and what this means for small businesses.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: 3C’S NEXT DC FLY-IN

Our first DC fly-in for 2019 is scheduled for May 7-9. Over a dozen 3C member companies from across the country will join us for an exciting series of meetings in Washington, DC during National Small Business Week. 3C members will have opportunities to meet with members of Congress, the Trump administration, and other influencers in the small business and tech policy sectors. There’s still plenty of space available for this trip! If you are interested in attending the fly-in, click here.

Here are 5 things you should know for this week:

• 3C POLL: Will New U.S. Privacy Regulations Be Too Expensive for Small Businesses?
  Check out this article from CPO Magazine covering our recent poll on small business owners’ attitude toward data regulations. As the article shows, there’s a general concern among SMB owners that policymakers cannot write and enact effective laws governing data. Do you agree? Reply back and let me know your thoughts. If you want to read the full report, click HERE.
• EXCLUSIVE: 3C Outlines National Data Privacy Framework For US SenatorsOn the heels of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade, and Consumer Protection hearing, “Small Business Perspectives on a Federal Data Privacy Framework,” 3C along with the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council and the Small Business Roundtable, sent a letter to the Senate Committee outlining a framework for national data policy legislation. Read the full letter here.
• Digital tools can be a game changer for rural America
  New research from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows that adoption of digital tools by rural American businesses could add $140 billion to the U.S. economy and create 360,000 jobs by 2021. The study examined 5,300 businesses in rural America, and outlines a number of recommendations that could help rural America realize its full potential. Find those recommendations and the study’s key findings HERE.

• Four strategies to boost your online traffic
  Staying competitive in the digital space can be challenging, especially with the ever changing landscape. An SEO specialist outlined four ways to boost online traffic to your website to gain more eyeballs and convert new customers.

• Utah steps into the data privacy debate
  Utah legislators voted unanimously in support of a new privacy law that will protect private electronic data, which was signed into law last night by Governor Herbert.  The legislation also will require law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing “certain electronic information or data”. Currently, there is no federal or state level protection for data stored with third party channels.

3C Member Spotlight:

Stella Crewse, CEO of Morgan Miller Plumbing

When Stella Crewse started at Morgan Miller, she was working part-time for a plumbing company that had just laid off half its workforce, and that was throwing away tens of thousands of dollars advertising in the Yellow Pages. But fast forward to her rise as CEO. and Stella was utilizing the innovative technology of easy access platforms and incorporating them into their business model. Morgan Miller was able to rebrand and rebuild to the point of being named one of Kansas City’s top companies with fewer than 25 employees. As CEO, Stella hopes to apply more digital tools across all the company’s processes to go entirely paperless within the next year. Read more.